10 Reasons NZ Enterprise and Government choose Silverstripe CMS

Silverstripe CMS is a trusted choice for medium to large organisations and government agencies across Aotearoa New Zealand. It’s secure, flexible, and designed to meet local requirements. As an open-source platform(opens in new tab), Silverstripe CMS empowers teams to build websites that are easy to manage, accessible, compliant, and scalable as needs evolve.

For enterprise and government, websites aren’t just about design. They’re mission-critical tools that must be secure, reliable, and scalable. They need to handle large volumes of content, serve thousands of users at once, and adapt quickly when requirements change.

This is where Silverstripe CMS, built in Pōneke Wellington, shines. It’s built with New Zealand organisations in mind, combining global open-source strength with local expertise and compliance.

Let’s explore 10 reasons why Silverstripe CMS is the preferred platform for New Zealand’s enterprise and government websites:

1. Security that meets New Zealand standards

Security is non-negotiable for government and enterprise. Silverstripe CMS has security built into its core, including:

• Granular permissions to control who can access or edit content.

• Two-factor authentication support for stronger logins.

• Regular updates (at least twice a year) to patch vulnerabilities.

• NZISM alignment, helping agencies meet the New Zealand Information Security Manual standards.

Read more about security best practices for your Silverstripe CMS project(opens in new tab), here:

2. Beyond websites: a platform for custom applications

Silverstripe CMS is more than a website builder. Backed by the open-source Silverstripe Framework, it’s a powerful toolkit for building bespoke digital solutions that go far beyond content pages.

For large organisations and government agencies, this means you can:

• Build exactly what you need—no limits from pre-made templates. From custom workflows to specialised publishing tools, Silverstripe adapts to your business, not the other way around.

• Integrate seamlessly with CRMs, ERPs, identity management systems, or custom databases to ensure your website works as part of a wider digital ecosystem.

• Create new online services that solve unique public-facing challenges, such as self-service portals, data dashboards, or interactive applications.

Developers benefit from a modular architecture and well-defined APIs, making it easier to extend, connect, and evolve solutions over time. This flexibility is especially valuable for complex, high-performance projects where off-the-shelf CMS platforms can’t keep up.

In short, Silverstripe CMS is not just a platform for publishing content—it’s a foundation for digital innovation. Organisations can start with a website and confidently expand into advanced applications and services as needs grow.

3. Proven to power highly performant websites

Large public websites often face huge spikes in traffic—whether it’s a Census, a major policy update, or a large-scale public event. Silverstripe CMS is designed to power websites that can scale and perform reliably under pressure when paired with the right hosting and infrastructure.

For example, during the 2023 Census, Stats NZ’s Census site—built with Silverstripe CMS—handled 3.7 million page views, with nearly one million visits on Census Day alone. With a strong technical foundation, the site remained stable, responsive, and accessible for New Zealanders when it mattered most.

This proven ability to deliver performance at scale is critical for government and enterprise organisations. With Silverstripe CMS, you can be confident your digital services have the flexibility to support heavy usage, safeguard public trust, and adapt as demand grows.

Check the full case study here.(opens in new tab)

4. Knows Aotearoa New Zealand's needs and is easy for everyone to use (Accessibility POV)

Because Silverstripe was created and developed in Aotearoa, it understands our local requirements, culture (including support for te reo Māori), and our strong commitment to making websites easy for everyone to use. Websites built with Silverstripe can more easily meet WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards at Level AA. This means they are designed to be used by all New Zealanders, including people with disabilities, making information and services available to everyone.

5. Open source and cost-effective

Silverstripe CMS is fully open source. That means:

• No licence fees: budget can go into innovation instead.
• Full control: organisations own their code and can choose any Silverstripe expert to work with.
• Continuous improvements from a global and local developer community.

Maintained by Silverstripe Limited, the CMS is actively developed and supported. The latest release, Silverstripe CMS 6, delivers new features and performance improvements to future-proof projects.

Learn all about what's new and how CMS 6 benefits your projects: Read about Silverstripe CMS 6.0.0(opens in new tab).

6. Easy integration with other systems

Government and enterprise rely on multiple digital platforms. Silverstripe CMS offers clear APIs and integration patterns to connect seamlessly with other apps, from payment gateways to identity systems. This reduces duplication, increases efficiency, and creates smooth digital journeys for users.

7. Strong local expertise and support network

Aotearoa has an active ecosystem of Silverstripe agencies and developers, many recognised as Silverstripe partners. This means:

• A strong local talent pool.
• Fast, timezone-friendly support.
• Agencies contributing improvements back to the CMS.

Choosing Silverstripe means joining a collaborative community invested in local success.

8. Simple content management for teams

Silverstripe CMS strikes the right balance between developer flexibility and an editor-friendly interface, making it easy for large organisations to manage complex websites with confidence.

Content teams benefit from:

• An intuitive SiteTree for clear navigation and page hierarchy.

• Flexible content blocks that let editors build rich pages from reusable components, without relying on developers.

• Drag-and-drop media management for images, documents, and files.

• Built-in versioning and rollback, so changes can be tracked, previewed, and safely undone.

• Workflows and approvals to support governance and quality control across large editorial teams.

Editors can get up to speed quickly, while developers appreciate that the CMS is built on familiar, modern web practices. This reduces training time, cuts down on support requests, and increases productivity across teams.

For government and enterprise, this usability means websites stay accurate, up to date, and compliant—even when managed by large groups of content authors. Teams spend less time wrestling with the system and more time delivering content that matters.

9. A long-term, future-proof choice

Selecting a CMS is a long-term investment. Silverstripe CMS is backed by a clear product roadmap(opens in new tab) and an open-source community that ensures ongoing innovation. Organisations can trust it will remain secure, supported, and adaptable for years to come.

10. Proven success with large NZ projects

The best proof of Silverstripe's strength is its track record on important New Zealand projects. Besides the Census website, Silverstripe is trusted by:

• Great Journeys New Zealand(opens in new tab)
• NZQA(opens in new tab)
• University of Waikato(opens in new tab)
• Tourism NZ(opens in new tab)

And many other key government services and medium to large companies, including banks like Westpac, showing Silverstripe’s reliability for critical online services.

Silverstripe CMS—The smart choice for Aotearoa's digital future

For government agencies and large organisations, Silverstripe CMS is more than a CMS. It’s a secure, scalable foundation for digital services that matter to New Zealanders.

By combining local expertise, open-source flexibility, and enterprise-grade security, Silverstripe CMS empowers organisations to build trusted, future-ready digital platforms.

Thinking about Silverstripe for your big project? Get in touch at hello@silverstripe.com to see how our secure, reliable, and scalable CMS can help you achieve your digital goals and better meet the needs of those you serve.